A unique glimpse inside a world of luxury, tradition, and splendor. Many historic homes in Paris serve as residences to foreign ambassadors; these historical sites are closed to the general public. From a seventeenth-century h tel particulier, to a Belle Epoque palace, to a distinctively contemporary setting, each residence rivals the next in its beauty, art collection, and period furniture set against a backdrop of accomplished refinement. Alain Stella invites us over the threshold inside the most prestigious chancelleries and ambassador residences in Paris--from China and Peru to Egypt and Poland. Tapestries inspired by Goya's drawings grace the lavish salons at the Spanish residence. Jean Prouv and Charlotte Perriand created a minimalist interior at the Japanese residence that evokes the refined style of a traditional Japanese home. The palace of Eug ne de Beauharnais--home to the German ambassadors since 1818--retains its elaborate Empire style, intact since the time of Josephine. Superb photographs, specially commissioned for this book over the course of a year, divulge the secrets of these previously unpublished artistic and architectural treasures.